11/11/2025
This weekend, I gave a presentation on optimizing your breastfeeding journey. And while we get to see the incredible benefits of prenatal preparation everyday, I often forget that prenatal breastfeeding education might not be on every mama’s mind as they prepare to welcoming their baby.
BUT, it should be! And there’s why:
• prenatal education reduces the stress and panic that we often see in the first few days postpartum. When you know what to expect, things don’t seem so uncertain and overwhelming. You know how to trust your body and your baby, and the care plan in your portal serves as a gentle reminder.
• it is empowering. Meeting with your lactation consultant and learning about the things your body is ALREADY doing, during pregnancy, to make milk for your baby, is truly incredible. And with support from your provider, we may even begin to collect colostrum (your baby’s first and most beautifully immunity-filled food), before baby even arrives.
• it builds confidence. Many moms doubt their body’s ability to feed their babies on the second night. But not if you’re prepared. Not if you know what to anticipate, and not if you remember that your baby is smart, and they know exactly what they’re doing when they cluster feed on night two.
• you know what comes next. When and how to pump or express milk if needed. What size fl**ges to use, just in case. How to pace bottle feed in the event that baby truly does need a little bit more volume. How to protect your milk supply and how to prevent making more milk than baby can manage.
• having an established relationship with an IBCLC before baby comes, means that you’re already comfortable with the team who will be meeting your newborn merely days after their arrival earthside. No worries about our protocols or practices—you know us already, and welcoming your lactation team into your home feels comforting, not uncertain.
If there is one thing I can recommend for pregnant moms who plan to breastfeed, it is absolutely, positively, no questions asked, establishing care with an IBCLC before baby’s arrival 🤍 and sharing your goals with the people in your corner.
